I preface this with this only being meant for PVP. True weapon balance allows the players skill to be a large factor (if not THE factor) in the success someone has with a weapon. The only way to have true balance is to have the Time to Kill be (essentially) the same for each weapon type within it's 'preferred' range. I will used hand cannons as an example because of their 'single shot' nature. All Hand cannons, within their preferred range, will have the same TTK. Rate of Fire and Impact will have an inverse relationship to allow this to be the same. This 'calculation' applies to All precision hits OR all Body hits. This means if 2 people are 'shooting it out' the person who can get more Headshots OR simply land more hits will win. This is skill based gun play in it's simplest terms. For the 'rarity' level of weapons (excluding Exotics for the moment) there will be 'very slight' differences to damage per rarity tier. We don't want newbies to complain that their White or green gear can't compete BUT higher level weapons should have an edge. Perks: (Up to Legendary rarity) Any damage enhancing perks need to be removed Range perks can work but only to give slightly more overlap into the next weapon range. (Hand cannon with Range perk can overlap into Pulse range but still be less effective in Scout range) Other perks can affect movement, weapon Usability perks (reload, ready, Aiming Etc) Exotics: This is a whole other beast and needs to be handles carefully. As the highest rarity tier there should be an edge but not overwhelmingly. Perks: In addition to the above, exotic perks can also affect Class/Ability items. I'm undecided on how to work in Elemental damage. Any ideas? This is just an initial thought on how to achieve true balance but I believe it starts with even TTK. I am open to any ideas or thoughts on what I've already posted. I know that one of the things that's great about Destiny is the weapon diversity. I don't want to cripple that but I think we'd all prefer a balanced game than a overly diverse one where balance is unmanageable. Edit 1: Recoil and handling are added factors. I feel they are also factors in the players skill to factor in those variable rather than pure damage. I'll let the discussion continue though.